The Library. Books and eBooks, Collections and Databases – a new exhibition at UM Gallery – presents an analytic as well as visionary perspective on books, charting their development from traditional representations to potential future forms.

The main source of inspiration for the exhibition is the rich resources and unique volumes of UMPRUM Library. The exhibition’s curators Lada Hubatová-Vacková and Pavla Pauknerová look at library-related issues that are being developed through collaborative projects with the Studio of Graphic Design and Visual Communication.

“Here we present a selection of old acquisitions and publications that are significant in terms of the history of both typography and graphic design. Among the notable items are an album of ornamental patterns from Owen Jones’ Grammar of Ornament (1868), a photographic folio from Eadweard Muybridge’s Animal Locomotion (1887), a collection of Bauhaus educational guides from an edition of Bauhausbücher (1925–1930) and a collection of colourful wood carvings assembled based on a template by the Chinese painter Qi Baishi and his students (1952–1956),” says Lada Hubatová-Vacková.

The exhibition also features digital versions of books designed during 2017 together with students from the Studio of Graphic Design and Visual Communication, led by Zdeněk Kvasnica, Adam Uchytil, Petr Krejzek and Lucie Jančová. These projects show how new technologies convert the conventional, analogical method of constructing books and their influence on how books are read. The work on show will include virtual and augmented reality installations, database designs and prototypes for mobile and web applications.

“Grammar of Ornament, for example, is composed in virtual form, offering a glimpse inside the Crystal Palace. Using models and drawings of the palace that burnt down in 1936, the students have rebuilt it virtually using new technologies. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to take a real-time walk through the palace at selected times,” adds Pavla Pauknerová.

There will also be a focus on the history and classification of the library at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design and the questions that are raised by the existence of digital media in general as well as their impact on library systems.

An installation in the form of a library with bookshelves will reflect the theme of the exhibition, arranged in a modest architectural layout and creating an organized unit that references the classification scheme of the original collections.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue of the same name, which will be launched on the opening night of the exhibition. Tours featuring guided commentary will also be available for visitors as part of the exhibition.